ACOG Statement on Restrictions Imposed by New Conditions of Participation

The following is a statement from Steven J. Fleischman, MD, MBA, FACOG, president of the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists:

"Nearly two in five people in the United States have their health care covered by Medicare or Medicaid, according to CMS. These critical programs help to provide access to medical care that saves and enhances the lives of people of all ages and in all states, regardless of their personal circumstances.

"Limiting access to evidence-based medical care by withholding the ability to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients could have serious and far-ranging repercussions for the health care system. Patients should be able to receive the medical care that is right for them, their lives, their values, and their priorities; physicians should be able to provide them that care without burdens, threats, or restrictions. Hospitals forced to leave federal health care programs will be unable to meet the medical needs of the people in their communities who are covered by those programs. This political interference in the patient-physician relationship has implications regardless of an individual's insurance coverage.

"Medicare and Medicaid payments make up a sizeable percentage of most hospitals' budgets; the threat of losing that funding will force hospital administrators to make the impossible choice between providing ethical, evidence-based care to patients or risking closure. With health care deserts growing across the country in rural and urban areas, we need policies that will shore up hospital sustainability rather than threaten hospitals with financial hardship that will result in unhealthier patients and under-resourced communities."